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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26711731">Puzzle Pieces</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWorkoftheHeart/pseuds/TheWorkoftheHeart'>TheWorkoftheHeart</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Corazon, the Klabautermann [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>One Piece</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Canon, Figuring Things Out, Gen, Interrogation, Klabautermann, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mythical Beings &amp; Creatures, Post-Dressrosa, Pre-Wano Arc (One Piece), Questions, Understanding, but just in case!, but like friendly, like very very mild</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 07:06:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,921</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26711731</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWorkoftheHeart/pseuds/TheWorkoftheHeart</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ever since Corazon had revealed himself to the crew, it had taken him almost no time to get comfortable being a part of their everyday lives.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Penguin &amp; Shachi (One Piece)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Corazon, the Klabautermann [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1943893</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>116</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Puzzle Pieces</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Welcome to the sequel to "Spirits, Unexpected"! I didn't anticipate to make it a full series, but damn, this little universe I've created is too fun to toy around in. It's a small series I'll add to occasionally! </p><p>I hope you guys enjoy this one!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ever since Corazon had revealed himself to the crew, it had taken him almost no time to get comfortable being a part of their everyday lives.</p><p>According to myth, Klabautermann only showed their faces when a ship and its crew needed them most; be it a repair or a drowning sailor, a Klabautermann would arise, extending its help towards the crew it had dedicated itself to. However, Corazon-- as his name was revealed-- seemed to be the sort to defy every expectation in every single way. He’d attend crew meetings, mix himself in at tables in the cafeteria, sprawl himself across couches with his hood tucked over where his eyes would be like somehow the darkness of it made any difference. Maybe it did. Who was to say?</p><p>Penguin and Shachi were infatuated with him.</p><p>This was the man their captain had talked about; the man he mentioned so rarely amongst the crew, but when he did, he’d ramble constantly, a wave of nostalgia and memories crashing over him and he’d be unable to stop it until the last of his stories finally left his lips. It was the man whose name left Law’s lips when he was only a child, and they’d asked him who he once lived with. It felt like they knew so much, and yet, they knew so little. What they knew of Corazon was so detached from the spirit that lingered around the ship. Law had never spoken about him in full. There was so much they didn’t know.</p><p>That’s why, over the course of a week, the two had been trying to locate the bastard and get some information. “He’s no stranger to questionings,” Law had warned them, “he can easily find his way out,” and they’d be damned if he wasn’t right; Corazon would be amongst the crew one minute, and once Penguin would stand to move to him, he’d suddenly vanish into thin air. It was <i>infuriating</i>, and what made it even more infuriating was how <i>absolutely hilarious</i> Law thought it was.</p><p>“Just tell him we want a friendly chat, dammit!” Shachi had practically begged one day in the kitchen while Law nursed yet another cup of coffee at the cafeteria bar. “We’re not gonna interrogate him.”</p><p>Law had just chuckled, shaking his head lightly. “I have no control over what Cora-san decides to and not to do. He’s a ship spirit, after all. He has work he has to do as well.”</p><p>“Yeah, well, part of his <i>work</i> can be just talking to us for a bit,” Penguin tried to reason. He grabbed the pitcher of coffee as if to cut Law off from pouring another one, earning a harsh scowl. One simple flick of his wrist and the pitcher was in Law’s hand, instead replaced with an unused fork.</p><p>“If he wants to talk, he’ll come to you,” Law declared, and that seemed to end the conversation. There was nothing either of the men could do to convince Corazon to speak to them, to quench their curiosity and allow them to deeper understand their captain. They’d given up on their quest to get answers soon enough, and had almost forgotten about it, until they entered the recreation room to see Corazon reinforcing a dent in one of the far walls.</p><p>It was finally their chance. Shachi strode over with all the confidence he could muster, gaining a slight glance from the Klabautermann as he pulled his hand under the loose metal and looked for the broken peg that held it.</p><p>“Finally!” Shachi announced. “Can you talk to us for a few minutes?”</p><p>Corazon didn’t respond, instead gesturing with his head to the work he was busy doing. His lips were pressed into a smile that hid amusement and pride; this was a game to him, too. They could definitely see that Law’s appreciation for trickery came from an environment that fed into it.</p><p>Penguin crossed his arms, looking over at the wall. It seemed an easy repair; the peg would need to be replaced, reattached to the loose frame, and pushed into place to keep it from giving. It was in no way a critical repair, but it was one that would need to be tended to at some point or other, so it was better to tend to it now, he supposed. “It’ll only take a few minutes. We just don’t know a lot about you, yeah? We just wanna... figure out who the person Captain used to talk about all the time is.”</p><p>The Klabautermann seemed to locate the broken peg, and took out a marker, placing an “X” over the metal wall plate the peg was attached to. Then, in a surprising turn of events, he stood up, giving the two shipmates his full attention. They craned their heads to keep an eye on his face. He was tall, incredibly so-- easily one of the tallest members of the crew, only shorter than Jean Bart and maybe level with their head chef. He gestured his hands out vaguely, as if inviting them to speak.</p><p>Penguin and Shachi stood dumbfounded for a moment before either of them thought to move. “Right!” Penguin hissed, grabbing a notebook and pen off of one of the desks. He scribbled a corner of the paper to ensure the ink’s quality before offering them to the spirit. “Here you go. Since you can’t talk, after all, and we don’t know sign language very well.”</p><p>Shachi chuckled. “I know a little bit, since I’m hard of hearing, but we’ve forgotten Northern sign and only really know Grand now.”</p><p>Corazon placed the cap of the pen between his teeth-- one of the only really defined features of his face, other than his mouth and makeup-- and scribbled a response on the paper. <i>Don’t worry about it. I can write just fine.</i></p><p>The two beamed, and Corazon’s shoulders shook with a silent chuckle. Shachi cleared his throat as he tried to come up with his first question.</p><p>“Well, uh... I guess first things first, your name’s Corazon, yeah? At least, that’s what Law told us.”</p><p>The Klabautermann smiled a little, writing down his response in the notebook. It took him very little time at all before he turned the page around. <i>I’m not Corazon anymore.</i></p><p>Shachi frowned a little, and Penguin gave a confused look. “Not anymore?”</p><p>The notebook flipped around, and more words were scribbled onto it. <i>Corazon was a title. I’m not Corazon anymore.</i></p><p>That made a lot of sense, suddenly. It explained why the newspapers the Heart Pirates got in Zou said that “Donquixote Executive ‘Corazon’ Vergo” had died, and yet Corazon was right here; it was a title. It must’ve been given to someone else when he’d died.</p><p>“So, uh... who are you, then?” Penguin asked. “We don’t wanna call you the wrong thing.”</p><p>The Klabautermann just waved his hand, as if gesturing for them not to worry about it. He wrote his next response on a new page, as his handwriting was a tad too big for the small paper. <i>Rosinante is fine, and Corazon is too, but only Law can call me Cora-san.</i></p><p>Penguin and Shachi both smiled when they read it. “Sounds simple enough. We’ll keep calling you Corazon for now, yeah?” Shachi suggested. “We don’t wanna confuse the others.”</p><p>Corazon just nodded. His smile never faded, and it didn’t matter that it was painted onto him.</p><p>“So, Corazon,” Penguin begins. “You... you were Law’s caretaker? For how long? How did that happen?”</p><p>More shuffling, more writing. Both shipmates found themselves engrossed in watching the ink stain the paper of the notebook, each word coming out crisp and clean; he wrote quickly, as if this wasn’t a practice new to him at all.</p><p>
  <i>It’s a long story, and one I don’t think I have the right in telling. I will say, though, that Law and I only spent six months together when he was 13 years old.</i>
</p><p>The two blinked. Six months? Law thought so highly of Corazon they’d presumed he’d known him for a lifetime; <i>six months?</i> It didn’t make sense.</p><p>“Six fuckin’ months? That’s it?”</p><p>“I thought it’d been longer,” Penguin replied. Corazon moved as though he was laughing, silent though he was. He was quick to respond.</p><p>
  <i>Consider it fate.</i>
</p><p>“Considered,” Penguin answered, chuckling along with him. “I take it you’re the one that helped cure him of his sickness, yeah? He mentioned something about having cured it before we met him.”</p><p>Corazon nodded, not finding it necessary to write an answer this time. The shipmates hummed in acknowledgement.</p><p>Shachi sighed. “How long have you been around this ship for, anyhow? A few months?”</p><p>The pen took to paper again, and they watched the answer formulate on the pages. <i>Three years.</i></p><p>“Three years?!”</p><p>The exclamation was enough to make Corazon jump; the hood of his raincoat threatened to fall off his head and he rapidly moved to catch it, making sure the pin of the submarine was still in place before positioning it how he liked it and moving his hands back to his sides. </p><p>Three years was a <i>long time</i>. It was a long time to be on a ship and not interact at all with the crew, or to not tell anyone you’re there, to not <i>face</i> anyone.</p><p>“Why did you never make yourself known sooner?!” Penguin asked, almost accusatory. He couldn’t explain the defensive anger bubbling in his chest, but in hindsight, he could; Law had almost died to avenge someone who’d been aboard the ship the entire time. Corazon wrote his answer, and though it was short, his somber expression proved it was honest.</p><p>
  <i>I didn’t know I even had the option.</i>
</p><p>The anger that was slowly coming to a heat seemed to cool in the pit of his stomach, subsiding like a pan removed from a red-hot stove. Shachi’s demeanor relaxed, too; he was relieved by the answer.</p><p>It was silent for a while. No one knew what to say, and all questions seemed to have vanished off Shachi and Penguin’s tongues. The next words spoken weren’t really questions, but it invited an answer anyways.</p><p>“Captain missed you, y’know.”</p><p>Corazon responded on the notebook. “I know. I missed my boy, too.”</p><p>The three shared smiles that seemed laced with a hint of sadness. Finally, Penguin clicked his tongue, clapping his hands to his thighs. “Well, uh... we’d better leave you to your work.”</p><p>“Yeah,” Shachi added, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry to bother you, Corazon.”</p><p>Corazon shook his head, waving his hands as though it was no big deal. He closed the notebook and re-capped the pen, setting it off to the side. He crouched down by the wall again, ready to get back to his work.</p><p>Penguin and Shachi began to make their way towards the door of the rec room, and almost reached the entryway before a knock caught their attention. The two turned their heads to find the source and saw Corazon staring at them-- er, they assumed he was; it was hard to tell when there was empty space where his eyes should be.</p><p>“What’s up?” Shachi asked, and Corazon positioned his hands out in front of him, moving his hands in a way that both men recognized and (thankfully) understood immediately. Northern sign.</p><p>
  <i>Come back anytime.</i>
</p><p>With smiles newly adorning their faces, they left Corazon to his work, finally having a few new puzzle pieces to figuring out the grand mystery that was their captain.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! If you liked this, go follow me on my Twitter, @hanahana_no__mi! Lots of love to you!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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